and heard the shouting, he cocked his ears, and set off with
himself full speed; but before he had got far he was without a rider,
and went galloping up to the bride's house, the bridle hangin' about his
feet. Billy, however, having taken a glass or two, wasn't to be cowed:
so he came up in great blood, and swore he would ride him to America,
sooner than let the bottle be won from the bridegroom's party.

* In many parishes of Ireland a number of small wax candles
are blessed by the priest upon Ash-Wednesday, and these are
constantly worn about the person until that day twelve
months, for the purposes mentioned above.

** Dyke or drain.

*** Became restive.

"When we arrived, there was nothing but shaking hands and kissing, and
all kinds of _slewsthering_--men kissing men--women kissing women--and
after that men and women all through other. Another breakfast was ready
for us; and here we all sat down; myself and my next relations in the
bride's house, and the others in the barn and garden; for one house
wouldn't hold the half of us. Eating, however, was all only talk: of
coorse we took some of the poteen again, and in a short time afterwards
set off along the paved road to the priest's house, to be tied as fast
as he could make us, and that was fast enough. Before we went out to
mount our horses though, there was just such a hullabaloo with the bride
and her friends as there was with myself: but my uncle soon put a stop
to it, and in five minutes had them breaking their hearts laughing.

"Bless my heart, what doings! what roasting and boiling!--and what
tribes of beggars and shulers, and vagabonds of all sorts and sizes,
were sunning themselves about the doors wishing us a thousand times long
life and happiness. There was a fiddler and piper: the piper was to stop
in my father-in-law's while we were going to be married, to keep the
neighbors that were met there shaking their toes while we were at the
priest's; and the fiddler was to come with ourselves, in order you know,
to have a dance at the priest's house, and to play for us coming and
going; for there's nothing like a taste of music when one's on for
sport. As we were setting off, ould Mary M'Quade from Kilnahushogue,
who was sent for bekase she understood charms, and had the name of being
lucky, took myself aside: 'Shane Fadh,' says she, 'you're a young man
well to look upon; may God bless you and keep you so; and there's not a
d